Register a company in Ireland

Yes. The CRO is fully electronic, the company secretary handles the local corporate function, and a Section 137 bond can replace the EEA-resident director where required. Fintech accounts can usually be opened by video, while pillar banks may request a meeting for full banking facilities.

Turnkey registration starts from €2,200, including CRO filing, the constitution, company secretary and the registered office for the first year. Packages with an account start from €3,900. A Section 137 bond, where required, starts from €1,900 for its two-year term. Renewal with accounting starts from €1,800 per year.

Companies earning trading income through active business operations with real decisions, activities and people connected to Ireland. Passive income, including rents and portfolio investments, is taxed at 25%, while groups above €750M fall within the 15% Pillar Two minimum. Revenue treats trading status as a factual test, so the substance needs to be documented from day one.

Every Irish LTD needs at least one director resident in the EEA or, instead, a Section 137 bond. The bond is a two-year insurance instrument with approximately €25,000 of cover and allows the company to remain fully foreign-owned without appointing a local director.

Qualifying research expenditure earns a 30% refundable credit, paid in cash instalments over three years even where the company has no tax liability to offset. Software development can qualify where it resolves technological uncertainty, so eligibility should be documented while the work is being carried out.

The headline dividend withholding tax is 25%, but exemptions cover many practical international cases. Qualifying EU and treaty-country recipients can use the relevant declarations, while since 2025 Ireland also provides a participation exemption for qualifying foreign dividends coming into the company.

Financial statement filing in Ireland forms part of the CRO compliance cycle together with the annual return. Preparation of financial statements in Ireland requires ongoing bookkeeping during the year, while most SMEs can use the audit exemption where the applicable conditions are satisfied.

There are two speeds. Wise, Revolut Business and Fire can open EUR/GBP operating accounts within days and cover most everyday needs. AIB and Bank of Ireland generally move more slowly with non-resident-owned companies and prefer to see genuine Irish substance.

The industry is built on roughly fifty years of treaty networks, depreciation rules and specialist expertise, with more than half of the world’s leased commercial fleet managed from Dublin. That infrastructure of lawyers, lessors and Revenue practice can also support other asset-leasing structures.

The CRO normally registers an LTD within 3-7 business days. Plan one to two weeks end to end with tax registration, while any required Section 137 bond can be arranged in parallel. A fintech account may be live before the tax numbers arrive, while VAT registration can take longer where Revenue asks for additional substance evidence.